Rampage slump against short-handed Admirals

Milwaukee goaltender Drew MacIntyre waved to the passing Greg Ireland as both teams left the ice Saturday night. MacIntyre, who toiled for Ireland for two seasons in Grand Rapids, departed with his fifth straight win, while Ireland hit the locker room looking for answers on why his current team couldn’t find the ammo to overtake the short-handed Admirals.

“We didn’t compete physically, we missed as many nets as we hit tonight, a lot of missed nets. If you’re missing nets or missing passes, to me that is a lack of focus. We’re professional players, we’re one level below the National Hockey League. The skill level is good enough that we can shoot pucks. If it’s not, then you should be shooting a couple hundred pucks in practice and get better at it.”

But all was not lost on the coach’s assessment.

“Having said that, it was a game we were still in until the last several minutes of the game. As we go down the last 40 games, we can’t have those. We have to manage our focus, we have to manage our systems, we have to manage our compete levels.”

“I didn’t think we were totally bad, but we could be a lot better.”

“I think if we move the puck quicker, work harder, I think when we do that we’re a pretty good hockey club. We have a good group in there. When we do it, it’s when everyone is doing it. I’m not down on our team, I’m not knocking them. I’m challenging them. Now when you’re winning you can push your team more and I think this a group I think we should push more.”

Milwaukee’s Nashville connection took its toll by pulling Mike Santorelli, the Ads’ leading scorer Thursday, and Ryan Jones Tuesday (combined 24 goals and 58 points), but the Rampage played flat and the West Division leaders took advantage.

“We floated through that game, pointed fingers at each other,” said forward David Spina, who kept his assist streak alive at five and added to his six-game point streak with a helper on the lone San Antonio goal.

“We were worrying about everything but the game, that’s what it felt like to me.”

One bright spot was the only Rampage tally which was set up by a nice pass from Spina in the corner to Jeff Hoggan, who was anchored at the top of the crease. The Rampage captain just tipped it inside the right post for his seventh goal in eight games.

“That’s one of the reasons they brought me here,” said Hoggan, who scored a career-high 29 goals last season in Providence, now leads the Rampage with 17.

“We know from last night that we can beat one of the top teams in the league, they’re at the top of the standings. I think we’ll respond and hopefully keep climbing the ladder,” said Hoggan after the game.

RANDOM NOTES FROM THE LOWER BOWL

As thrilling and exciting as the Friday game was, the first period Saturday night was just the opposite. The most exciting thing about the first period — two words — dot race.

Nice glove work on Alexander Sulzer by Josh Tordjman, again, another bright spot, early in the second period.

Leading scorer for the Rampage against Milwaukee this season — defenseman Sean Sullivan with a goal and three assists.

Rampage had won 9 of 10 at home coming into the game.

A LITTLE CHIPPY

Milwaukee’s Cal O’Reilly gave Tordjman a face full of ice chips in the second period so defenseman Dave Schlemko and forward Chad Kolarik took offense causing a minor ruckus. That face full of shaved ice when players put on the brakes in front of the goalie is really seen as a sign of disrespect and usually the offender can expect some kind of retaliation.

Great save to keep the Rampage in the game by Tordjman as Milwaukee’s Tristan Grant took off from the penalty box for a breakaway with 13:00 left.

“I just had to stay with him and he shot right into me. It was one of those plays that happen,” said Tordjman.

On Milwaukee’s second goal, the puck hit the crossbar and the goal judge hesitated before pressing the button.

“The call is made you’ve got to move on. You’re not going to fight (the ref) over it.”

WHICH IS BETTER — AHL OR CHL — THE DEBATE CONTINUES UP NORTH

Some fans in Oklahoma City are going through the same emotions San Antonio fans experienced when the IHL Dragons invaded the Iguanas’ turf. Rumors have it that the Edmonton Oilers will move their AHL affiliate to OKC and replace the CHL Blazers at the Ford Center. Currently, the Oilers have their recruits in Springfield, Mass.

Callups seem to be the main hangup — but from this aisle seat, that’s one of the best things about the AHL. These guys playing one night in San Antonio could be playing in the Show the next night.

Take for example: Some future NHLer’s have scored game-winning goals at the AT&T Center this season.

Just looking over the Rampage game-by-game sheet, couldn’t help notice guys like Bobby Ryan, who scored a hat trick against the L.A. Kings the other night for Anaheim, scored the gamer on Oct. 26 for Iowa over S.A.

Josh Gratton, who has tormented the Rampage since Phoenix traded him last season, is now toiling for the Philadelphia Flyers — mostly without his gloves. He scored the winner on opening night when he played for the Admirals.

Jason Jaffray netted the winner for the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg before packing his bags for Vancouver, where he’s scored a couple of goals.

Riley Armstrong returned to the Worcester Sharks from the West Coast where he played a couple of games for the Big Boy Sharks after winning the game for Worcester on Nov. 23.

Max Pacioretty has helped the Montreal Canadians with a pair of goals after his callup from Hamilton. Pacioretty scored the winner against the Rampage Nov. 25.

And Krys Kolanos, who got the gamer against the Rampage on Nov. 29, has been up and down with Minnesota all season from his AHL home in Houston. His presence looks to needed up north because of the near-season ending injury to All Star left wing Martin Gaborik.

These are just the game winners!

Already mentioned on these cyberpages are players like Bryan Helmer in Washington, Santorelli and Jones just got the call to Nashville from the Admirals, and Matt D’Agostini, who has scored six goals in 18 games for the Habs since his callup to Montreal right after he scored here just before Thanksgiving.

Some goaltenders who have wet their skates on AT&T Center ice one night and laced them up in NHL rinks shortly thereafter include Hershey’s Simeon Varlamov in Washington, Hamilton’s Marc Denis in Montreal, the Wolves’ Ondrej Pavelec in Atlanta, Iowa’s David LeNeveu in Anaheim and Providence’s Tuuka Rask now in Boston for the weekend. Nice to see and I think the OKC will be happy with that.

Now, if Austin can sign on with the Dallas Stars and OKC could have the Oilers (wouldn’t that be ironic if Edmonton insisted they use the NHL name and have the Oklahoma City Oilers — in reference to their age-old rivals from Tulsa?).

ANOTHER NIGHT TO GRAB A CHEAP SEAT

Monday, January 19th game is another $9 ticket game. Fans can get any seat in the house for $9 including seats on the glass.